McCain offers strong support for Romney

4/20/12 4:07 PM EDT

John McCain went hard after President Barack Obama at a Republican National Committee unity lunch for Mitt Romney.

McCain had a degree of passion in his voice that was lacking when he appeared with Romney in New Hampshire before that state’s January primary. He raised his voice at times during a 12-minute speech.

“I am so gratified to see our party coming together in a solid team that is going to elect him president of the United States,” the Arizona senator and 2008 nominee told about 150 people at a resort here for the RNC’s annual state chair meeting.

“I promise you with Mitt Romney as president of the united states we will be able to hand off a better nation to our children and grandchildren,” he added later to a standing ovation.

McCain had his harshest language for Obama. He recalled seeing the cover of this week’s Economist Magazine on how nasty the campaign has already become: “the class warfare, the character attacks, the desperation that this Obama campaign is already showing.”

“Obviously they’ll do anything to divide this nation in class warfare the likes of which I have seldom seen in any political campaign in our history,” he said.
McCain noted that Arizona has been one of the hardest hit states by the weak economy.

“I’ll tell you: the state of Arizona, don’t worry, we’ll be for Mitt Romney this November,” he said.

“This race is about the fundamental difference between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama,” he added. “Barack Obama believes that government creates job. Mitt Romney knows that business creates jobs.”

McCain praised Romney’s record at Bain Capital, citing Staples as a success story.

“Were their failures? … Yes, there were,” he said. “That’s the nature of the free enterprise system.”

He also praised his work on the Olympics.

“Yes, he had for fire people. But, you know what, it was the most successful Olympics in the history of this nation thanks to the leadership of Mitt Romney,” McCain said.

He predicted the general will be very close.

“I believe that we are going to be up late on election night, I really do,” he said.